Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott has placed a new challenge on point guard Jeremy Lin, who has been struggling to find his groove since he was pulled out of the starting five.
During Thursday's practice at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo, California, Scott spent some time in talking about Lin's up-and-down season so far and what he thinks Lin should improve on to become a major contributor for the team.
Scott, who has known for his feisty attitude during his playing days, did not mince any word in saying that Lin hasn't been playing smart basketball, while challenging the Asian-American point to give his best shot every single game.
"If you got a lot more to give, give it to us then," Scott smiled. On what Lin can improve, Scott specified "be more aggressive, just be smart when he's out there playing," the Lakers coach said in an interview with Mark Mediana of Los Angeles Daily.
"Our last conversation was basically you've got to understand who you're playing with, gotta get those guys involved because he's a guy that's always been ball-dominant."
Since his was relegated to a backup role, the 26-year old Lin is averaging 6.0 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 29 percent from the field and 25 percent from the three-point line.
Acquired by the Lakers in a trade with the Houston Rockets last summer, the Asian-American playmaker was supposed to be the answer to the team's point guard woes, with the acquisition of Steve Nash panning out as a big letdown for the Lakers organization.
Unfortunately for Lin, his one and half month tenure with the Lakers has already been filled with frustrations and disappointments as he struggle to adjust into Scott's Princeton-based offensive system and the pressure of playing alongside Kobe Bryant.
Bleacher Report Lakers writer Kevin Ding believes Lin is simply just a bad fit for the Lakers and the expectation for him was just too high for him to swallow.
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